Epithalon

A synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG), developed by Vladimir Khavinson at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology as a synthetic analog of epithalamin, a crude bovine pineal gland extract. Epithalon has been studied primarily for its observed effects on telomerase activation, telomere elongation, melatonin rhythm restoration, and lifespan extension in animal models.

Approximately 110+ publications exist, with nearly all originating from Khavinson's research group. No independent replication of key findings has been published, and no formal pharmacokinetic studies exist. The FDA placed epithalon on the Category 2 bulk drug substance list in September 2024, barring pharmacy compounding.

The landmark 2003 study by Khavinson et al. demonstrated that epithalon induced telomerase expression and telomere elongation in telomerase-negative human fetal fibroblasts, with treated cells exceeding the Hayflick limit. Animal lifespan studies by Anisimov et al. showed mean lifespan increases of 11–31% across Drosophila, SHR mice, C3H/Sn mice, and LIO rats.

In HER-2/neu transgenic mice, epithalon prolonged average lifespan by 13.5% and was observed to suppress breast adenocarcinoma development. Limited human data includes a prospective cohort of 266 elderly adults treated with epithalamin for 2–3 years. A critical caveat noted by the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation: nearly all studies originate from Khavinson's group with no independent replication. No formal pharmacokinetic data have been published.